Lukas

My name is Lukas, and I am the oldest sibling in our family. With that role has come a lot of responsibility, but even more than that, it has given me the greatest gift I could ever have: being a big brother.

Being a big brother has taught me more than I ever expected. It has shaped who I am, how I love, and how I see the world. Above all, my Lord and Savior Jesus has guided my heart, filling me with deep love for my family and a genuine gratitude for everything our family represents. When I think about our journey together, there is only one word that truly fits… blessing.

Life hasn’t always been easy. We’ve had ups and downs, challenges and seasons that stretched us. But no matter what we face, we always come back together stronger and better than before. My parents show such a beautiful picture of what Jesus’ love looks like in real life. Through them, I’ve learned what it means to love selflessly, to be patient, and to care for others even when it’s hard. They don’t just talk about love—they live it out every single day.

One thing I’ve learned through our family’s journey is that fostering and adoption don’t look the way they’re often shown. It isn’t chaos, fear, or something to be afraid of. Through Georgia Kids Belong, I’ve seen how fostering and adoption are meant to intertwine with families that already exist, not replace them, disrupt them, or break them apart. Instead, they come alongside families, strengthening them and creating space for more love, more growth, and more understanding.

Over the years, I’ve been incredibly grateful to witness the different stages of life happening all around me in our home. Each one of us, my siblings, my parents, and my grandma, is in different seasons, and that has taught me how to truly understand people and love them well. It has matured me in ways I couldn’t have imagined, helping me see that love looks different depending on where someone is at in their journey.

Through it all, I keep coming back to that same word, blessing. Being able to love so many siblings, each one uniquely, knowing that God placed every single one of them in our home for a purpose, and that is something I will never take for granted. Loving each of them individually, in the way they need to be loved, is one of the greatest privileges of my life.

I wouldn’t want my family to be any smaller or any bigger. It is exactly as it is meant to be. I love that I can joke and laugh with my 50 year old dad, and then two minutes later be on the floor laughing with my 2 year old sister. Those moments remind me how full and rich life can be.

My family continues to show me what I hope to one day create in my own home. Getting to grow up surrounded by such a strong example of a healthy, loving household is a blessing beyond words. I truly couldn’t ask for a greater family than this.